If the new Lincoln MKC is premium, then premium comes cheap

If the new Lincoln MKC is premium, then premium comes cheap

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Ford’s luxury arm keeps toiling away in the background, and now there is a new Lincoln MKC crossover to take on the role of the brand’s best-seller – the 2019 model starts from AED169,995…

Lincoln still desperately wants to be assimilated with the premium crowd, but it seems this town is only big enough for Mercedes and BMW, and Audi. And Jaguar, and Cadillac, Volvo, Lexus, Infiniti… Lincoln is slowly starting to get its act together though, with the new Navigator and upcoming Aviator representing better efforts from the Americans.

The latest car to come into the crowded mid-size crossover market in the UAE is the 2019 Lincoln MKC and it’s far from just a Ford Edge this time around. With a fancy enough look to it and that distinctive rear lightbar, the MKC enters the equation fighting it out with tough rivals like the Lexus NX, Volvo XC60, the new Range Rover Evoque, Audi Q5, BMW X3, Mercedes GLC, Infiniti QX50, Jaguar E-Pace, and phew, we think that covers the lot.

As you an see Lincoln has a hell of a job on its hands attracting buyers in that crowd, but starting from AED169,995 is one of the 2019 MKC’s selling points. The other bit is 285 horsepower, but that’s higher up in the range if you choose the 2.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine. The base 2.0-litre power plant is rated at 240 horsepower, but going through the equipment list you can have seven airbags, torque vectoring, and a convincing amount of luxury kit. There’s even active noise control to make the cabin as quiet as possible.

Whether it’s good to drive and practical to live with remains to be seen until a review, but the Lincoln MKC falls a bit short on cargo space in this segment with 1,504 litres (rear seats down), though adaptive suspension with a Comfort driving mode (and a Sport mode if you must) could be the ticket for a smooth daily driver.

Lincoln says the brand’s making strides in the UAE as the MKC nameplate really got going three years ago in our market, which means the 2019 model has a lot riding on those sculpted shoulders.